Commander of CFB Kingston sheds light on operations, life for CF members

Col. Kirk Gallinger, base commander of Canadian Forces Base Kingston, speaks to the Canadian Club of Kingston during a luncheon at the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club on Thursday, January 10, 2019. Steph Crosier/The Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network

Opening eyes and dispelling myths, Canadian Forces Base Kingston’s base commander spoke on Thursday about how his members are all part of the melting pot of the city.

Col. Kirk Gallinger was invited to speak to the Canadian Club of Kingston during a luncheon at the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club. He spoke about the work that is being done on their base, the role of the base in the wider scope of the Canadian Forces and how his members are continuing to be sent around the world on a regular basis.

He emphasized that the base as a whole feels fortunate to be a part of Kingston and has always felt support from the municipality. It is a historic relationship that Gallinger aims to continue. Despite that relationship, he admitted that the everyday civilian may not know everything that is going on at the base.

“Much like Kingston, [CFB Kingston is] a centre of innovation in realm of defence,” Gallinger told the Whig-Standard prior to speaking. “We have a number different organizations that work technology doctrine.”

Those skills and others are being put to work in Canada and around the world. Gallinger said that in November alone, there were 400 members of the Canadian Forces based in Kingston deployed around the world supporting operations, the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Two leaders from Kingston are , commanding the NATO training mission in Iraq, and Col. Travis Morehen, who is in commanding the joint task force in the African country of Mali.

“We are just as busy now, and it’s not just one location,” Gallinger said. “There are troops that are in Mali, in Iraq, in Europe and all throughout Canada. That goes on daily, monthly. That’s part of our normal.”

That normal means members are away from their loved ones, families that need to be supported by the community, he said. During his presentation Gallinger told the story of welcoming home a corporal on Sunday who’d been in Latvia on another NATO mission. She missed Christmas with her four children and her husband, who is also a member of the Canadian Forces.

Gallinger pointed out during his speech that CF members post to Kingston are also facing stress from the 0.6 per cent vacancy rate in the city. The number comes from a rental market survey completed by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. In 2017 Kingston’s vacancy rate was 0.7 per cent, the lowest in the province.

“The immediate impact is that we now have members and families that are being pushed to the limits of the geographic area to find somewhere to live,” Gallinger said. “The excitement in being posted to Kingston has, to an extent, been overshadowed by the challenge of finding a new home.”

He noted that many members are living in Napanee and Gananoque to find affordable housing.

Another common stressor between his troops and many Ontarians is finding health care opportunities for families. While military members have access to their own physicians and base hospital, it is not open to their families. This is particularly difficult for Francophone families. He said that about 50 per cent of the members in Kingston are Francophone but have a challenge finding a French-speaking, or bilingual physician.

Finding a bilingual physician this becomes even more crucial when it comes to accessing help for mental health, said Gallinger.

“As Canadians have worked hard to reduce the stigmas associated with mental health, we have seen an increase in military family members needing psychiatric intervention,” Gallinger told the club. “Unfortunately, I’m aware of wait lists for some family mental health services being in excess of eight months.”

Gallinger, himself, was posted Kingston in June and started work last July. He and his family made the move from Carlisle, Pa., after he completed studies at the United States Army War College and was a distinguished graduate.